June 10, 2020

On 10th June 2020, around 70 scholars from the Kashmir Education Initiative (KEI) gathered under one virtual roof to attend a soul-stirring webinar session on the Preservation of Kashmiri Language and Culture by the US-based, Asmat Ashai. In a world that had been burning with conflict and pandemic, the session provided a cooling respite with its healing echoes of Kashmiri music and culture. When in her warm and articulate tone, Asmat Shai from Funkar International asked the scholars, to choose their preferred language for conducting the session, the vote was almost unanimous, ‘Kashmiri’! In fact, there were gentle protests, when another language would be used and a collective cheer when verses and romantic musical melodies were exchanged in Kashmiri. Quite a far cry from her Convent days, as Asmat recalled when students would take pride in conversing in English. In fact, a fine would be inevitable on students caught conversing in their local language, Kashmiri or Urdu! A strategy devised by the nuns to make the students fluent in English. Cut to the somewhat recent present, when Asmat, who had settled in the US after her marriage, faced a dilemma when her children enquired why she couldn’t read and write Kashmiri. “How could somebody tell you not to learn their own language, it’s violation of human rights!” was what they demanded to know. That’s when she looked inwards and started a new journey to go deeper into her roots. It was to be a journey that would include the Kashmiri youth as well as veteran artistes such as the renowned Kashmiri poet, Agha Shahid Ali, from budding musicians & poets to the established names from the Kashmiri literary world to the unsung sheroes. The idea was simple- to promote the vernacular language and instill a sense of pride amongst the next generation towards their own culture. And music and literature were to be the main tools to achieve that goal. When her children were still young, Asmat enrolled herself in a Masters in Reading Course and realized how essential it was for children to absorb their own culture and language in the early years, whether it was by listening to your grandparents’ stories or observing things in your environment. Or else, there would be the risk of losing out on the wonderful stories, literature and poetry that your language was blessed with. That would probably explain why Asmat and Team Funkar International published CDs with Kashmiri renditions of popular nursery rhymes, such as Baa Baa Black Sheep, Mary Had A Little Lamb and so on. And that also certainly explains why Asmat’s grandson started confidently playing the native musical instrument of tumbakda at a tender age of 7! With the next generation in mind, the Funkar International was started with a humble goal to record and preserve Kashmiri songs amidst a turbulent atmosphere in Kashmir. Gradually, it spread its wings to globalize Kashmiri music and language amongst non-Kashmiri speakers as well. For instance, they digitalized some of the oldest and evergreen Kashmiri folk songs in their very first CD form, ‘Saaz Tih Awaaz’ that became a huge hit amongst the Kashmiri American households. That also helped them promote the works of lesser known women singers such as Raj Nasim and the very young Irfan & Bilal and turned them into now popular household names! For Asmat who grew up in a household with music in the background, there was no better way to introduce language to the youth than through music. They conducted a Kashmiri youth camp for teenagers from the US and incidentally, they were the words from the old folk song, “Dil Suran Hai, Dil Nyushaman Hai” that captivated the young audience and motivated them to dive deeper into the Kashmiri language, history and music. Agha Shahid Ali, Asmat’s childhood friend himself would enthrall and inspire the young audience with his magical poetry reading sessions. Well, back to the KEI session, as the hooked audience time travelled to Asmat’s old and contemporary tales, song requests kept pouring in from all quarters and Asmat gracefully obliged by singing a few lines of “Katu chuch nundbani..” The scholars in turn reciprocated and expressed their talent and love for music by singing their favourite Kashmiri songs. And suddenly, it felt like the virtual walls separating the members were broken and instead everyone in the webinar was gathered in one hall of a musical baithak. Asmat recalled how cultural differences were broken too when 2 Palestinian American musicians assisted her in adding a unique beat and music to a classic for the next generation, Kashmiri or not, to savour. It is now available on Amazon and Apple Music for the global audience. To the young KEI scholars, Asmat had simple but significant advice to share. It was of utmost importance to keep alive the tradition of language through reading, rich literature, poetry and make available Kashmiri movies and scripts to a global audience through translation. That, she pointed out, was how Rumi, the legendary Islamic scholar and Persian poet’s works got their due respect and appreciation by the world. Spiritually thus, it was important to not just receive but to give as well, to be proud of one’s own culture and share it to spread joy amongst others. And last but not the least, learning how to play an instrument was key to not just stay connected with your own heritage but also to help one remain calm and focused. Building on these beliefs and values, Funkar International has been giving an opportunity to young budding musicians with their musical projects, supporting with guidance, providing native instruments such as the Rubaab, writing poetry, funding and developing their projects to promote Kashmiri culture and arts.. Summing up the spirit of this cultural webinar, in Asmat’s own words, “Whatever your vernacular language is, it’s your soul, whether it is Kashmiri, Pahari or Punjabi, it’s an asset. You speak more languages even better when you speak your own vernacular language!” And the KEI scholars including the musical chupaa rustams (those with a latent talent) couldn’t agree more. In the form of Asmat, they saw a bright shining road ahead to their dreams and cultural visions.